702-564-6697If you are a homeowner in Las Vegas and you’re looking to improve your home, you may want to take a look at your insulation. With poor insulation, more than half of your home’s heat can escape, forcing your HVAC to work more than it should!
Heating and cooling costs are usually one of the largest parts of your energy bills, accounting for around half of your total energy expenditures. Setting up good insulation may reduce that by around thirty percent.
How Do You Know if You Have Good Insulation?
To find out how much insulation your home currently has and how much is considered enough, it’s best to first look at the Environmental Protection Agency’s table found in their Energy Star website, as it shows how much insulation is needed in every climate zone.
If the floor joists in your attic or basement are visible, that is a telltale sign that you need more insulation. With regards to walls, you’d have to drill a hole to check and although it’s more expensive and difficult, it’s worth checking out especially if you have an old home.
How To Insulate Your Home
1. Mind The Doors
One of the easiest ways to insulate your home is to start with your doors. Draught excluders or draft stoppers can be used to mitigate heat and AC loss in doors.
2. Insulate The Windows
Aside from doors, heat and AC can also escape through your windows. Run the palm of your hand around the edges of your windows. If you feel the presence of wind, it means your windows have weak points. A helping of putty or sealer can easily remedy those flaws. Fitting your windows with curtains or blinds can also help, especially if they have thermal backing.
3. Double Glaze
Double glazing means adding more glass panes to your windows to further slow down heat and AC loss. If your home doesn’t have it yet, it’s worth considering as it will help lessen your energy bills.
4. Fill The Gaps In The Floor
Homes that have wooden floors run the risk of having gaps between the floorboards. If you want your home’s insulation to be very thorough, it is suggested to bring in an expert to properly fit insulation beneath your floors.
5. Insulate Your Attic
Hot air rises, so heat will naturally go to your attic. Accordingly, you would want to pay close attention to this part of your home and make sure that it is well-insulated. Get either loose-fill or batt insulation, depending on what you need. The process of laying it down can either be done by professionals but you can also try to do it yourself. Talk about a fun weekend activity!
Most homes aren’t as insulated as they should be. In fact, homes over forty years old are likely to have no insulation at all. Fortunately, checking how much insulation your home needs is as simple as 1, 2, 3 and adding insulation can be done by yourself! If you require help, however, don’t hesitate to contact the professionals over at Johnny On The Spot at (725) 977-9461.